Shoe rack



Aug. 17, 1937. P. s. M MICHAEL SHOE RACK Filed Sept. 19, 1955 INVENTOR. I A UL J. MA c ICHAEL fl gnwm ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNlTED STATES ATNT FFHE SHOE RACK Paul S. MacMichael, Seattle, Wash.

Application September 19, 1935, Serial No. 41,238

5 Claims. (Cl. 12128.1)

This invention relates to shoe trees and racks therefor adapted for use generally as a working combination.

Some of the objects of my invention are to provide a simply constructed shoe tree which may be Workably mounted on a suitable rack adapted to carry a plurality of such trees compactly spaced with the treed shoes preferably occupying normally a generally vertical position with their soles and heels adjacent a supporting wall and to be able to maintain said position by gravitation. The rack also serves to prevent contact between treed shoes and adjacent clothes.

Other objects are to have a mounted shoe tree flexibly or pivotally movable to facilitate the operation of treeing a shoe thereon, said movement first bringing said tree into a relatively non-interfering treeing position in respect to adjacent closely spaced trees and the supporting wall, and second, providing for the easy free shifting of their relative angular positions as said shoe is brought into position on said tree, a detachably mounted tree being provided so that any rack may readily be equipped with trees of any desired size.

My invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of the shoe tree and rack combination with one tree in place thereon,

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through the axle l of Fig. 1, also showing a mounted tree and a shoe in position ready to be treed thereon; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section similar to that of Fig. 2 showing a treed shoe.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the various figures of the drawing.

In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification certain specific disclosure of the. invention is made for the purpose of explanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departing from the broad spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a shoe tree I has a toe piece 2, a heel piece 3, and a flexible resilient shank 3-, shown in its free form at la (see Fig. 2), and its flexed form at 41) (see Fig. 3). Said shank G has formed in it a resilient hub 5, provided with an expansible opening E5 which may be snapped onto the supporting axle l, thereafter retaining said hub 5 in freely rotating position on said axle l. Said hub 5 is positioned on said shank iadjacent the toe piece 2. The rack 8 as a Whole, preferably made in a single piece, comprises the axles '5 each with the supporting legs II to form an inverted U l2, over each of the gaps it in the supporting cross-bar it. carried by the angle wall bracket l5 adapted for attachment to a wall l6. 7

To tree a shoe, the tree i, normally held by gravity in the position 32, is manually rotated approximately to position 33 and a shoe 3| from position 3m (see Fig. 2) is treed and when released gravitates to the generally vertical position shown in Fig. 3. The tree shank is flexed as necessary for bringing the tree into place in the shoe, during which operation said shank 4 may be freely moved pivotally inthe open space or gaps l3 between the legs H of the inverted U l2.

The axle l is spaced out from the wall a distance adapted to permit the shoe being moved into position between the wall and said U member, and to permit of rotation of a treed shoe in the manner described, said treed shoe normally occupying the space generally between said wall l5 and said cross-bar I4.

For removing a shoe substantially the reverse of the above operation takes place.

Some of the novel features and advantages of my invention will now be pointed out.

In order to provide a compact storage in the limited space generally available, the shoe trees are mounted on a rack in spaced positions and normally hang in a substantially vertical position. The free mounting of the trees, permits a ready treeing or detreeing of the shoes. I have therefore devised a tree adapted to be movably carried on a support so that each tree independently may be moved or rotated into an accessible convenient treeing position practically non-interfering as regards the supporting wall or any shoes on adjacent trees, for which purpose a pivotal mounting of the tree. is useful whether the axis of said pivot is generally parallel to the depth of a treed shoe in place or parallel to its Width, or at some other angle thereto.

In the treeing of a shoe on a tree, various parts of, or places on said tree will assume constantly changing angles relative 'to its other parts and also relative to the shoe being placed thereon as said treeing operation progresses. Where the user of a tree is handling the same freely with one hand and a shoe with the other, these constantly changing relative angles are readily accommodated manually. If a tree is rigidly mounted at some point thereof in fixed position on a rack, it becomes an inconvenient and awkward operation to tree a shoe on account of said rigid mounting. I have discovered that a shoe may be treed easily and conveniently on a tree to dig into the insole.

' simple in construction and is adapted for use in when pivotally mounted on an axis generally parallel to the shoe width.

When the treed shoe is to gravitate freely to the generally vertical position shown in Fig. 3 with the toe up, it is necessary that said pivotal axis be appropriately located above the center of gravity. This condition I have met by having a pivotal hub 5 positioned on. a shank 4 adjacent the toe piece 2 of my shoe tree and by supporting said hub on the axle i on the inverted U l2 of my rack. The space l3 between the legs of said U is suflicient to permit the free movement of the shank 4. At the same time said U [2 is narrow enough over all to pass freely into a shoe to be treed thereon.

My preferred shoe tree is provided with a onepiece flexible resilient shank in which is formed an open loop or hub which may be forcibly sprung onto a supporting axle and be retained thereon 20 unless forcibly removed, thereby providing a simple andconvenient pivotal mounting. The toepiece I provide with a curved up sled-runner forward bottom part adapted to be passed into a shoe with a. gliding action rather than tending The tree as a whole is combination with my rack or for ordinary detached use. v

The shoe tree rack is adapted to carry a plurality of pivotally mounted trees in spaced positions adapted to support the shoes treed thereon in a generally vertical position by gravitation between the supporting cross-bar i4 and the wall, with shoe soles towards the wall, the cross-bar guarding against undesirable contact of treed shoes with adjacent clothing. I have referred to a wall as a convenient vertical surface on which to screw the shoe rack, a door also being appropriate, but the rack may be suspended or carried fromrany available supporting means by obvious appropriate modifications.

In certain parts of this specification and claims I refer to elements of the shoe tree positioned relative to a normal shoe treed therewith. It is to be understood that said term normal shoe is used as a matter of convenience in wording and relates to any of the general Oxford type of shoes, one of which for women is illustrated in the drawing. Said term also refers to the corresponding type of low shoe for men.

In various places herein, I use terms such as pivotal mounting, hub and axle. These terms all relate to a construction wherein. a pin, shaft or pivot engages with a generally encircling bearing or hub, providing for relative rotary motion about a generally fixed axial line. In principle, whether the hub part is on the stationary or the movable part, relative to the axle being on the other engaging part, is a matter of obvious mechanical equivalent.

While I have shown and described a preferred construction for a shoe tree and rack combination, I have found that the various details may be modified in various ways and still fall within the broad spirit of my invention and I wish to maintain all my rights to such modifications limited only as set forth in the claims appended herewith.

For instance, the hub 5 may be made as a separate part adapted for the attachment thereto of a shoe tree. Different designs of shoe trees may be used in the general mode herein set forth. The device may be arranged on similar principles to support the treed shoe either with the heel up or with the toe up, or the treed shoe may be supported at some other than the generally vertical angle herein described as preferable.

I claim:

1. A wall rack adapted to the support of a pivotally mounted shoe tree comprising a short axle adapted to be contained inside a treed shoe for the pivotal support thereof, a leg carrying said axle and extending outside said treed shoe, a bar carrying said leg extending crosswise outside said shoe, and means for mounting said bar non-rotatably.

2. A wall rack adapted to the support of a pivotally mounted shoe tree comprising a short axle adapted to be contained inside a treed shoe for the pivotal support thereof, a leg carrying 7 said axle and extending outside said treed shoe, a bar carrying said leg extending crosswise outside said shoe, and means for mounting said bar non-rotatably whereby a treed shoe may be carried generally between said bar and a supporting wall.

3. A wall rack adapted to the support of a pivotally mounted shoe tree comprising a short axle adapted to be contained inside a treed shoe for the pivotal support thereof, legs respectively attached to each end of said axle forming therewith a U, a bar attached to the open end of said U extending crosswise relative to and outside'of a treed shoe, and means for mounting said bar non-rotatably.

4. A shoe straightening tree adapted for use when permanently mounted comprising a heel piece and a toe piece connected by an elongated resilient flexible shank with each of its two ends affixed respectively into one of said pieces, wherebetween said longitudinally extending shank is positioned; and means in said tree adapted to engage for the permanent axial support thereof with said tree completely rotatable on an axial line generally parallel to the width of a shoe treed thereon; said supporting means being positioned generally between the respective outer ends of said pieces and generally adjacent one of said ends thereby causing said tree when mounted on an axial support to gravitate into a generally vertical position.

5. A shoe straightening tree having a toe piece and a heel piece connected by a rigidly attached, longitudinally-extending, continuous spring shank devoid of pivotal joints adapted generally throughout its length to flex substantially and resiliently thereby facilitating the placing of said tree into a shoe wherein it may position flexed and exerting resilient shoe-straightening pressure; and a part on said tree adapted to engage for the axially operative, permanent support thereof with said supported tree completely rotatable on an axial line generally parallel to the width of a shoe treed thereon; said tree when axially supported being adapted resiliently and flexibly, gradually to assume substantially changing positions about said axis, and changing curving forms, such as to offer the least resistance to the manual operation of conveniently placing a shoe in a resiliently stressed, shoe-straightening position on said flexible tree when mounted; said axial mounting being positioned adjacent one end of said tree whereby the latter when mounted will gravitationally assume a generally vertical position. 1

PAUL S. MAoMICHAEL. 

